Chemical industry given homeland security guidelines | 12.22.2006 | 06:08:10 | Views: 5150 | ID: December 22 '06: New regulations being issued Friday by the Department of Homeland Security will focus on ways to protect the chemical industry from a terrorist attack by mandating that chemical companies submit plans on security upgrades, improvements and current operations to homeland security officials, Bloomberg> reported. "Under the new rules," the financial news and businesses news service reported, "chemical plants considered to be high risk must assess their vulnerabilities and provide security plans to the government ... Manufacturers could be fined as much as $25,000 a day or, in the worst cases, closed down for non-compliance," if they fail to meet those requirements. Additionally, DHS would "create standards for better deterring the theft of chemicals, controlling access, security the perimeters and guarding against sabotage from employees," Bloomberg was told by a DHS official who wished to remain anonymous. The security mandates were in part begun after the department was given jurisdiction to monitor the chemical industry's safety and security as well as preparedness. Congress voted in September to grant the departmental oversight, Bloomberg reported.
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